Rising stars from Aalto Startup Center shine at Arctic15

Lifting off: Finnish satellites and geospatial data

Finland’s new space sector continues to gather momentum through a growing satellite ecosystem. One of the players is DIAMANT, a Research to Business (R2B) project that develops lightweight and affordable deployable antennas for small satellites. It’s based on PhD work conducted at Aalto University.

Another new space player is SharpNav. The startup is building a low-earth orbit satellite system that stays accurate even when signals are weak or blocked. With satellite jamming on the rise, SharpNav sees a place for its technology in both defense and commercial use.

One startup using satellite data in its business model is Lensor, a developer of AI-powered tools for sustainable land management. The company’s platform helps cities to efficiently manage urban green spaces and improve soil health. Lensor is now piloting its solution with the City of Helsinki and partners across Europe.

“Aalto Startup Center helps us a lot in making the right connections. This has been key for shaping our business model and getting pilot projects off the ground, so we can take Lensor from Finland to the world,” says CEO and Co-founder Lisa Theman.
 

Powering up: Finnish deep tech rethinks industrial automation

Finland has long been known for its strengths in engineering for industrial applications. That tradition continues with BOMP, an R2B initiative using machine learning to optimize processes and materials across various industries.

“We’ve already tested our algorithms with leading Nordic companies in paper, polymers and composites. Now we aim to replicate that success in the US. We’re currently closing our seed round and have soft commitments from several investors,” says Senior Business Developer Alan Mesh. 

Another industrial R2B project is CloViC (Cloud Virtual Commissioning), a solution that lets manufacturers simulate entire factories in the cloud. This reduces setup time and helps companies to avoid the costly mistake of ordering the wrong industrial controllers. The initiative is now building partnerships to bring the technology to market.

Sustainable Smart Gas Sensor (SGS Sensors) is an R2B project developing biodegradable and ultra-low-power gas sensors. The technology is capable of quantifying up to 10 different gases from concentrations as low as 1 part per million – all while consuming just 1 milliwatt of power. 

“We've essentially developed the future of gas sensing with this printable nanomaterial innovation. There are so many different applications – from defense, to industry and even in the home. We now have several partners ready to do pilots,” says Commercialization Specialist Antti Jäänvirta. 

Natural advantage: Finnish materials innovation goes global

Materials science continues to gather force in Finland, with research focusing on sustainable solutions that can be scaled for real-world use. A notable initiative is R2B project Bubbles with Benefits, which is developing cellulose-based alternatives to plastic bubble wrap and packing foams. 

“We have the world’s only fully bio-based bubble wrap replacement. It’s a completely new product with a new process, so we’re running pilots, gathering feedback from potential customers and looking ahead to future funding for the startup,” says Biologist and Designer Satu Paavonsalo. 

Another venture in the field is Uniki, a startup developing bio-based packaging materials as sustainable and cheaper alternatives to plastic. The company is currently in discussions with different players across the paper and packaging value chain.

Operating in an adjacent field of materials science is the R2B project Droplet Instruments.Their TAHMA platform enables precise measurement of surface adhesion, aiding quality control in advanced materials manufacturing. The technology grew out of research at Aalto University’s Department of Applied Physics.

“The team was originally developing superhydrophobic materials and realized there was no reliable way to measure how water-repellent these materials were. That’s what led them to create the first version of TAHMA. We’ve now expanded its capabilities to cover a wide range of surface interactions,” says future CEO Juuso Korhonen.

While not a materials science company, Taru Tech also started out by creating a measurement tool the founders needed in their own work. Run by CEO Emil Bulut and CTO Arsham Soltani, the startup is now using AI to automate playtesting in mobile games, enabling game developers to quickly try out new designs. 

“We were actually developing our own mobile game, for which Arsham built an AI playtesting tool. We saw it would have commercial value, so we talked to some investors and pivoted in this new direction at the end of 2024. Now we’re piloting our MVP with our first customers. Things are moving fast and the business is growing,” says Bulut.

Further information:

Marika Paakkala, Director, Aalto Startup Center / marika.paakkala@aalto.fi / +358 40 8292 286 
Päivi Meros, Marketing & Communications Specialist, Aalto Startup Center / paivi.meros@aalto.fi / +358 50 32 98 554 

Aalto Startup Center plays an important role in building and developing the Finnish startup ecosystem. The business accelerator provides a growth platform for start-ups that are less than three years old, especially in the technology sector. This includes companies originating in Aalto University and elsewhere, and the accelerator also generates new business from research projects. In spring 2023, Aalto Startup Center was selected as one of the top three university-based business incubators in the world.